Bond v. Albin

28 P.3d 394, 29 Kan. App. 2d 262, 2000 Kan. App. LEXIS 1395
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedDecember 22, 2000
Docket85,065
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 28 P.3d 394 (Bond v. Albin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bond v. Albin, 28 P.3d 394, 29 Kan. App. 2d 262, 2000 Kan. App. LEXIS 1395 (kanctapp 2000).

Opinion

PADDOCK, J.:

Bany Albin, father of the defendant Benjamin J. Albin, was subpoenaed to appear at a deposition scheduled by the plaintiff, Dayla Bond. Albin failed to appear at the deposition and was found in indirect contempt for his inattendance.

Although Albin purged himself of contempt by attending a rescheduled deposition, he was ordered to pay Bond’s costs and expenses for the unattended deposition and the contempt proceedings. Albin appeals.

We affirm.

*263 Albin claims multiple errors by the district court that require reversal. He opines that procedural errors deprived him of due process.

Statutory Procedure

Albin claims the district court lacked jurisdiction to find him in contempt because it failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 20-1204a. Just as failure to comply with K.S.A.-20-1203 in a direct contempt action is jurisdictional, see State v. Jenkins, 263 Kan. 351, 357, 950 P.2d 1338 (1997), so too is the failure to comply with the procedural requirements of K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 20-1204a, concerning indirect contempt. In interpreting statutory requirements, an appellate court has unlimited review. State v. Patterson, 25 Kan. App. 2d 245, 247, 963 P.2d 436, rev. denied 265 Kan. 888 (1998).

Albin argues that there was no underlying order that if violated would trigger the contempt proceeding. He is incorrect. Albin was served with a subpoena to appear at the deposition scheduled for August 25,1999. The subpoena, which he ignored, constituted the underlying order referred to in K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 20-1204a(a) as “an order in a civil action.” His failure to comply with the subpoena was the basis for the order that he appear and show cause why he should not be found in indirect contempt.

Furthermore, the fact that the subpoena was issued by a certified shorthand reporter who was to record the deposition did not detract from the subpoena being an order. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 60-245(a)(2) authorizes a subpoena for taking depositions to be issued by the officer before whom the deposition is to be taken. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 60-245(e) permits a finding of contempt of court for failure to obey a subpoena to appear for a deposition. Albin has failed to cite authority that would support an argument that K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 60-245(e) would be applicable only to a subpoena issued by a judge. When a statute is plain and unambiguous, the appellate courts will not speculate as to legislative intent behind it and will not read such statute as to add something not readily found therein. In re Marriage of Killman, 264 Kan. 33, 42-43, 955 P.2d 1228 (1998).

*264 Albin claims that when he failed to appear at the March 3, 2000, contempt hearing the district court should have issued a warrant for his arrest pursuant to K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 20-1204a(c), rather than proceeding in his absence to hear the contempt charge. This claim lacks merit.

K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 20-1204a(c) provides, in pertinent part: “If, after proper service of the order to appear and show cause, the person served should not appear in court as ordered, . . . the court may issue a bench warrant commanding that the person be brought before the court to answer for contempt.”

Albin did appear in court on November 24, 1999, in response to the court’s order to appear and show cause; thus, there was no reason to issue a bench warrant.

At the November 24, 1999, hearing, the district court found it did not have time for a full show cause hearing and continued the hearing to March 3, 2000. The court also directed Albin to appear at the rescheduled deposition on November 29, 1999. At the November 29, 1999, deposition, Abin was served with a contempt citation along with a copy of the court’s order rescheduling the contempt hearing.

Abin failed to appear at the March 3, 2000, hearing. The court determined that Abin’s failure to appear at the August 25, 1999, deposition constituted an indirect contempt. It further found that Abin had purged himself of contempt by attending the rescheduled deposition. However, the court assessed the costs of the unattended deposition and the contempt proceedings to Abin. Abin was notified of the date and time of the hearing, and his decision to not appear did not require that he be conducted to the hearing by means of an arrest warrant in order for the hearing to take place.

Right to a fury Trial

Abin claims it was error for the district court to deny his request for a juiy trial to determine the contempt issue. Bond argues Albin did not raise this issue before the district court and, thus, it is not properly before this court on appeal. Bond is incorrect. Abin moved the court for a jury to hear the contempt charge. He claimed he had a constitutional right to have a punitive contempt charge *265 heard by a jury. His request was denied. The issue is properly before us on appeal.

Due process requires fewer procedural safeguards for contempt sanctions which are remedial, rather than punitive in nature. See Mine Workers v. Bagwell, 512 U.S. 821, 831, 129 L. Ed. 2d 642, 114 S. Ct. 2552 (1994). A contempt sanction is remedial if it is designed to compensate the complainant for an injury produced by the contemnor’s conduct. 512 U.S. at 827, 829. Remedial sanctions have never been considered criminal and do not require the full panoply of protection afforded a criminal proceeding. 512 U.S. at 833. A jury trial is not required in these circumstances. 512 U.S. at 831-33 (specifying that a jury trial is necessary where the court intends to impose a serious criminal penalty).

In the instant case, the sanctions were not a criminal penalty but were designed to compensate Bond for the costs she incurred because of Albin’s delinquency. The sanctions were remedial, not punitive. Albin was not entitled to a jury trial.

Failure to Recuse

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 P.3d 394, 29 Kan. App. 2d 262, 2000 Kan. App. LEXIS 1395, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bond-v-albin-kanctapp-2000.